Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:54 am, the temperature is 52 degrees.

It will be foggy this morning, like it has been every morning recently. Today will be sunny with a high temperature in the upper 70’s with a low tonight in the upper 50’s. It will be mostly sunny tomorrow with a high near 80 degrees.

Little River is flowing at 64.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.44 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 81 cfs. The water temperature is 62.2 degrees this morning.

Streams in the Smokies are flowing near normal but normal in September is low. We could use some rain, which looks to be coming about mid-week.

Trout will be hiding in broken choppy water. Stealth is essential to your success. Stay hidden by wearing clothing that blends with the forest. Don’t cast a shadow where you intend to cast your fly and hopefully catch a trout. Stay low if possible.

I would fish with a dry and dropper rig. My dry fly choices would include a black foam beetle or other larger terrestrial fly or a yellow Stimulator. My dropper choice would definitely be a Green Weenie.

Fishing stocked trout is fair to good, especially in the streams that have been stocked recently. Cooler water temperatures have helped improve the fishing in these streams.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is fair to good in the lowland rivers. Most of the rivers are flowing low but very close to normal for this time of the year. I would plan on fishing in the deeper pools or runs with streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers.

It will be sunny today so fly fishing on the lakes will be best early or late when the sun is low. Streamers and swimming nymphs have always worked best for me during the early Fall. Many species of fish are holding or cruising in deeper water. Get your flies down deep and try to keep them there as you retrieve them back to your boat.

Foam floating flies and poppers may produce too, especially in the cooler lakes or areas of lakes that are cooler. If you are fishing when the sun is shining brightly on the water, streamers or swimming nymphs are a better choice.

If fishing on a tailwater is something you are planning today, there are some generation schedules you can work with whether you are wading or boating. Check the list of options on the TVA website from the links below. You should be able to work out a good tailwater fishing day with careful planning.

This is going to be a beautiful Fall day. Hopefully you can get outside and enjoy it.

Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.

Byron Begley
September 24, 2023

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Parking Tags are now required to park your vehicle inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 15 minutes. Tags may be purchased at Visitors Centers, including the center in Townsend. Or, they may be purchased online. You can buy a daily, weekly or annual tag. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com